'Shooting Beauty' shines at Phoenix Film Festival

Once again, the annual Phoenix Film Festival made its appearance April 2 through April 9 but this time bringing along one of the most breathtaking movies sure to make anyone second guess what they thought about people with a disability.

I picked up the brochure of the Film Festival's schedule and started to skim through it. I came upon a black and white image of the biggest smile, from a girl who had Coke-bottle glasses and cerebral palsy, and my heart started to race. I read the description carefully and fell in love with such an idea for a movie. A movie about people with a disability who documented their everyday lives.

That one film standing out among the rest was a film directed by George Kachadorian, called "Shooting Beauty."

I held my ticket carefully, anxious about what lay ahead. After 63 minutes of watching such a transformation of beauty before me, I had tears in my eyes. I could not stop talking about the movie, like a little kid who visited Disneyland for the first time.

With the combination of an inspirational fashion photographer, people with disabilities and the love of photography, this movie is sure to make a difference in your life and change your understanding of a hidden world.

"Shooting Beauty" is a heartfelt movie similar to a documentary that tells the story of a fashion photographer, Courtney Bent, who spent over a decade teaching people with disabilities about photography.

In the movie, Bent gives each person a camera that fits his or her disability and needs. Whether the camera is attached to their wheelchairs to remain stable, or high enough for their tongues to press, everybody has a camera to capture their lives as they see it.

Ernest James, a photographer, uses a camera specially designed for him. A camera directly in front of him, on a rod and stable enough for his tongue to attract the button like a magnet in order to take a photograph.

As each photographer carefully moves the images through the chemicals, you are left with an anticipation of what emotion will be developed next. Each print draws you into how they view their world with experiences of love and loss.

Bent put a lot of effort into her work with the aspiring photographers and had many of the photographs on display in an art gallery. Also in part of her efforts she has an award winning photography program called, "Picture This."

"Shooting Beauty" is for anyone who has a passion for photography and a love for inspirational documentaries. The movie is ground- breaking and motivating. It is sure to spark an emotional side you never knew you had.

For more information, visit everyonedeservesashot.com for screenings and the purchasing of images.